JP5133714B2 - Combination weighing device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a combination weighing device that measures and combines a weighing object so as to be a predetermined amount and wraps the weighing object such as food in a predetermined amount.

  In general, a combination weighing device is configured to select a combination within a target weight range from combinations of objects to be weighed by a plurality of weighing units, and collect and discharge the selected objects to be weighed. .

  Conventional combination weighing devices are roughly classified into a circular type and a rectangular type. Among these, the rectangular type combination weighing device has a plurality of hoppers arranged vertically below a supply trough for supplying an object to be weighed. One channel is formed, and a plurality of channels are arranged in a straight line.

Further, in Patent Document 1 below, a channel including a supply trough and a plurality of hoppers is arranged in a plurality of linear rows below a substantially rectangular cylindrical tank for storing an object to be weighed. Discloses a combination weighing device (rectangular type) in which the rear ends of the objects to be weighed are back to back. Furthermore, the rear end portion of the supply trough extends into the tank, and the object to be weighed in the tank can flow from the rear end portion to the front end portion of the supply trough by the vibration of the supply trough.
JP 2004-109078 A

  By the way, in recent years, there is an increasing demand for products (small bag type) packaged in a small capacity of 10 to 30 grams. In order to obtain a small capacity with the combination weighing device, for example, if one piece of potato chips of about 5 grams is combined to 30 grams, each hopper has about 1 to 3 pieces of potato chips. Desirably, beyond that, the target weight range may be exceeded and the hopper may not participate in the combination.

  However, since the conventional combination weighing device (Patent Document 1) and the like are configured to supply the objects to be weighed stored in the tank at the upper part of the device to the hopper one after another from the supply trough, the example described above with this device. If the potato chips are combined to 30 grams (small capacity) as in the above, many hopper chips that are outside the target weight range may enter many hoppers. Such hoppers are excluded from selection and cannot participate in the combination, and only the remaining hoppers must be combined so that a predetermined amount is obtained. As a result, production efficiency has been greatly reduced. Further, since the hopper that could not participate in the combination cannot participate in the subsequent combination, it was necessary to perform complicated recovery work such as temporarily stopping the apparatus and removing the object to be weighed from the hopper. Therefore, the conventional combination weighing device is not suitable for obtaining a small capacity.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and provides a combination weighing device that is suitable for obtaining a small capacity by controlling to supply the objects to be weighed in small amounts from the supply trough. It is aimed.

Next, means for solving the above problems will be described with reference to the drawings corresponding to the embodiments.
The combination weighing device according to the first aspect of the present invention is provided with a supply trough 2 having an inclined surface in order to flow an object to be weighed W in a supply direction Y, and arranged vertically below the supply trough 2. A channel is formed from a plurality of hoppers 4
In the combination weighing device 1 in which the channels are arranged in a plurality of linear rows, and the rear ends 2a of the supply direction Y in the supply troughs 2 of the rows are back to back.
A sensor 15 provided in the same number as the number of fall points P so as to detect whether or not the object to be weighed W exists for each of a plurality of fall points P corresponding to the channel;
A movable allocating unit 10 provided so as to be movable along the channel alignment direction X, and receiving a detection signal from each sensor 15 and allocating an object W to the drop point P according to the detection signal; ,
A dispersion surface 21 provided with the drop point P and a dispersion portion 20 having the dispersion surface 21 ;
The feed direction Y (Y1, Y2) the slope of the dispersion plane 21 for dispersing the said inclination of the supply troughs 2 the objects to be weighed W which distributed to the drop point P in the feed trough 2 for each of the columns It is characterized that it is slower than the surface.

  According to such a configuration, the sensor 15 detects whether or not there is an object to be weighed at the drop point P, and the mobile sorting unit 10 moves to directly reach the drop point P without the object to be weighed W. The object to be weighed W can be dropped. Since the object to be weighed W that has fallen to the drop point P temporarily stays there, the sensor 15 detects that the object to be weighed W is present immediately after the object to be weighed W falls.

  The combination weighing device according to claim 2 is characterized in that a flat surface 24 is provided on a part of the dispersion surface 21 of the dispersion unit 20, and the drop point P is provided on the flat surface 24.

  According to such a configuration, the object to be weighed W that has fallen at the drop point P reliably stays temporarily on the flat surface 24.

  In the combination weighing device according to claim 3, a plate material that is long in the channel arranging direction X is arranged at the rear end portion 2 a of the supply direction Y between the movable sorting unit 10 and the drop point P for each row. A guide 16 that is inclined downward is provided.

  According to such a configuration, the object to be weighed W discharged from the mobile sorting unit 10 is guided by the guide 16 and reliably falls to the drop point P.

  The combination weighing device according to a fourth aspect is characterized in that the guide 16 is inclined so as not to block the detection axis L of the sensor 15.

  According to such a configuration, since the guide 16 does not block the detection axis L of the sensor 15, erroneous detection of the sensor 15 can be prevented.

  The combination weighing device according to claim 5, wherein the drop point P is provided between the channels in the dispersion unit 30, and the supply direction of each of the channels adjacent to the measurement object W that has dropped to the drop point P is provided. It is characterized by being dispersed in Y (Y1, Y3).

  According to such a configuration, since the drop point P is between the channels, it is not necessary to provide the drop point P for each channel. Therefore, the number of drop points P is reduced, and the number of sensors 15 for detecting the drop points P can be reduced.

  According to the combination weighing device of the present invention, the sensor detects whether there is an object to be weighed at the drop point before supplying the object to be weighed from the supply trough to the drop point without the object to be weighed. Since the objects to be weighed are dropped directly, the objects to be weighed can be continuously supplied from the supply trough to the hopper little by little. As a result, there is no hopper that is outside the target weight range and excluded from the selection target, and the production efficiency is not lowered, which is suitable for obtaining a small capacity. In addition, since the guide is provided between the mobile sorting unit and the drop point, the object to be weighed discharged from the mobile sort unit can be reliably dropped to the drop point. Furthermore, since this guide does not block the detection axis of the sensor, erroneous detection of the sensor can be prevented.

Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.
1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a combination weighing device according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a side view thereof, FIG. 4 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. It is a perspective view which shows a part.

  The combination weighing device of the present embodiment is a device for obtaining a small amount of snacks such as potato chips among foods.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the combination weighing device 1 of the present embodiment includes a supply trough 2 and a plurality of hoppers 4, and the supply trough 2 and the hopper 4 are arranged in a substantially vertical direction to form one channel. None, and the channels are arranged in a plurality of linear rows, and the rear end 2a of the feed direction Y of the object W in the feed trough 2 of each row is back to back.

  The supply trough 2 vibrates and flows the workpiece W in a predetermined supply direction Y (left and right in FIG. 3), and the rear end portions 2a are arranged back to back. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a plurality of pairs (five pairs in the present embodiment) are arranged such that the distal end portion 2b faces outward. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the rear end portion 2 a of the supply trough 2 is an inclined surface for flowing the workpiece W in the supply direction Y.

  Further, a gap is formed between the supply troughs 2 and 2 adjacent to each other in the channel arrangement direction X (hereinafter simply referred to as the arrangement direction) so that the supply troughs 2 do not interfere with each other during vibration. Since the gap is closed by an overlap portion 3 in which the side portion of one supply trough 2 is overlapped with the side portion of the other supply trough 2, the object to be weighed W does not fall from the gap. .

  Below the supply trough 2, a plurality of hoppers 4 are arranged in a substantially vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 1, each hopper 4 has a supply port 4a at the top and a discharge port 4b at the bottom, and an open / close shutter 4c is provided at the discharge port 4b. In this embodiment, a stock hopper 4A, a weighing hopper 4B, and a memory hopper 4C are provided in one channel from the top.

  The stock hopper 4A is arranged below the front end 2b of the supply trough 2, stores a predetermined amount of the workpiece W supplied from the supply trough 2, and discharges it to the weighing hopper 4B.

  The weighing hopper 4B is disposed below the discharge port 4a of the stock hopper 4A, and weighs the objects to be weighed W supplied from the stock hopper 4A, respectively, and discharges them to the memory hopper 4C after weighing. .

  The memory hopper 4C is disposed below the discharge port 4a of the weighing hopper 4B, temporarily stores the objects W to be supplied from the weighing hopper 4B, and discharges them to a collecting chute (not shown) after selecting a combination.

  Note that the weighing signal from the weighing instrument of the weighing hopper 4B is input to a combination selection unit (not shown). The combination selection means stores the weight of the object to be weighed W supplied to the weighing hopper 4B based on the weighing signal of the weighing machine. For example, when a discharge request signal is received from a packaging line or the like, a combination within the target weight range is selected from combinations of the weights of the objects to be weighed W measured by the weighing hopper 4B, and the objects to be weighed selected as the combination A setting signal corresponding to the weighing hopper 4B and / or the memory hopper 4C containing the article W is output. Thereby, the objects to be weighed W combined with the weight within the target weight range are collected by the collecting chute and discharged to the packaging line.

  There are a plurality of methods for selecting the object W to be measured by the combination selecting means. For this, a method of selecting a combination from the objects to be weighed W accommodated in the weighing hopper 4B, and temporarily storing only the selected object to be weighed W in the memory hopper 4C and discharging it to the collecting chute, A method of storing the object W to be weighed by the weighing hopper 4B in the memory hopper 4C, selecting a combination from the objects W to be stored in the memory hopper 4C, and the object W and the memory of the weighing hopper 4B There is a method of selecting a combination from the objects to be weighed W of the hopper 4C. Any of these may be employed in the present embodiment.

From here, the structure of the upstream side from the supply trough in this Embodiment is demonstrated.
In addition to the supply trough 2 and the various hoppers 4 (4A, 4B, 4C) described above, the combination weighing device 1 according to the present embodiment includes a mobile sorting unit 10, a sensor 15, a guide 16, and a dispersion unit 20. And.

  As shown in FIGS. 1-4, the mobile distribution part 10 is formed in the substantially rectangular funnel shape, has the supply port 10a in the upper part, and has the discharge port 10b in the lower part. From the supply port 10a to the discharge port 10b is a continuous inclined surface. In addition, a substantially rectangular frame 11 is provided around the movable allocating unit 10, and two rails 12, 12 are provided along the alignment direction X in the upper center of the frame 11. The movable distribution unit 10 is located between the two rails 12, 12, is supported by the two rails 12, 12, and is provided so as to be slidable in the alignment direction X by the actuator 13.

  In this mobile distribution unit 10, the object to be weighed W conveyed by the conveyor 14 shown in each figure is supplied and moved in the alignment direction X to drop it to one of a plurality of drop points P described later. Then, the objects to be weighed W can be sorted and discharged for each drop point P.

  The sensors 15 are provided side by side along the alignment direction X for each column. Moreover, the sensor 15 respond | corresponds for every channel of each row | line | column, and detects whether the to-be-measured object W exists in the fall point P for every channel. The sensor 15 always irradiates light along the detection axis L directed to each fall point P, and detects the presence or absence of the inspection object W on the optical axis (that is, the detection axis L) based on the amount of reflection. The detection signal is output to the mobile sorting unit 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the guides 16 and 16 are provided below the movable allocating unit 10, and a long plate member in the direction X is directed to the rear end 2 a of the supply trough 2 in each row. Is inclined downward. Each guide 16, 16 is inclined so as not to block the optical axis L of the sensor 15. Further, the guides 16 and 16 are surrounded by four plates 17 in a substantially rectangular shape. Note that this enclosure may be omitted, and only the guide 16 may be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the dispersion unit 20 is provided below the movable distribution unit 10 and the guide 16, extends in the alignment direction X, and gently descends toward the supply direction Y for each column. 21. The dispersion surface 21 is inclined more gently than the inclined surface of the supply trough 2. Further, the dispersion unit 20 is provided with a partition 22 for dividing the dispersion surface 21 for each channel of each row. Further, side plates 23 are provided at both ends in the arrangement direction X of the dispersing portions 20. With these partitions 22 and side plates 23, one dispersion surface 21 can correspond to one channel.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the central portion of each dispersion surface 21 in the dispersion portion 20 is the drop point P described above. The drop point P is a position where the object W discharged from the mobile sorting unit 10 falls, and the object W dropped at the drop point P is even in the supply direction Y (Y1, Y2) for each row. To disperse. In addition, the object to be weighed W that has fallen to the drop point P is temporarily retained (a short time of about 1 to 2 seconds) because the dispersion surface 21 of the dispersion unit 20 has a gentle inclination.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 5, it is good also as a structure by which the substantially horizontal flat surface 24 was provided in the top part of the dispersion surface 21. FIG. In this way, the object to be weighed W is surely temporarily retained on the flat surface 24. Further, in this case, a vibration device (not shown) that vibrates the dispersion unit 20 in the vertical direction in order to supply the staying object W to the supply trough 2 is installed below the dispersion unit 20. Supply adjustment is ensured.

  In the combination weighing device 1 described above, the object to be weighed W continuously conveyed from the conveyor 14 is distributed so that the mobile sorting unit 10 falls to the drop point P where the object to be weighed W is not present. At this time, since each sensor 15 always detects whether or not the object to be weighed W exists at the drop point P, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, if there is no object to be weighed at the drop point P ′, the sensor 15 Detects this, and outputs a detection signal to the mobile distribution unit. Upon receiving the detection signal from the sensor 15, the mobile sorting unit 10 moves so that the discharge port 10 b is positioned immediately above the drop point P ′, and directs the object W to be weighed from the conveyor 14 toward the drop point P ′. To discharge. In addition, the to-be-measured object W discharged | emitted from the mobile distribution part 10 can be reliably dropped to the fall point P 'by being guided by the guides 16 and 16. Further, since the weighing object W stays at the falling point P for only a short time, the weighing object W immediately disappears at another falling point P, and this is detected by the sensor 15 to the mobile sorting unit 10. A detection signal is output.

  By repeatedly performing such an operation at a stage before supplying the objects to be weighed from the supply trough 2 to the stock hopper 4 (4A), the objects to be weighed W can be continuously supplied to the supply trough 2 little by little. . That is, the supply from the supply trough 2 can be controlled.

  According to the above-described embodiment, the sensor 15 detects whether or not the object to be weighed W exists at the drop point P, and the mobile sorting unit 10 directly covers the drop point P without the object to be weighed W. By dropping the weighing object W, the weighing object W can be supplied to the supply trough 2 little by little. As a result, since the objects to be weighed W are supplied from the supply trough 2 little by little, there is no hopper 4 that is outside the target weight range and excluded from the selection target. As a result, the production efficiency does not decrease and a small capacity is reduced. It is suitable for obtaining.

  In addition, by providing the guides 16 and 16 below the movable allocating unit 10, the object to be weighed W discharged from the mobile allocating unit 10 is guided by the guide 16, and the object to be weighed W is surely dropped. Can be dropped to point P.

  Furthermore, since the guides 16 and 16 are tilted so as not to block the optical axis L of the sensor 15, erroneous detection of the sensor 15 can be prevented.

  In the above-described embodiment, each inclined surface 21 of the dispersion unit 20 is completely divided for each channel by the partition 22 and has a configuration in which a corresponding drop point P is provided for each channel. The fall point P may be shared by adjacent channels. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, such a dispersion unit 30 is provided with a substantially flat surface 31 continuous in the arrangement direction X at the center of the dispersion unit 30, and the arrangement on the flat surface 31. A drop point P is provided between channels adjacent in the direction X. However, in the case of FIG. 6, since one row has five channels, one drop point P is provided in one channel in the channel located in the center as in the above-described embodiment. In such a dispersing unit 30, the objects to be weighed W that have fallen at the drop point P are evenly distributed in the supply direction Y of the adjacent channels in each row.

  According to such a configuration of the dispersion unit 30, the drop point P is less than that in the above-described embodiment because the drop point P is between the channels. Therefore, the number of sensors 15 for detecting whether or not the object to be weighed W is present at the drop point P can also be reduced. As a result, the apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of a combination weighing device according to the present invention. It is the same front view. It is the same side view. It is the same top view. It is a perspective view which shows the mobile distribution part and dispersion | distribution part in the embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows other embodiment of a dispersion | distribution part.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Combination measuring device 2 ... Supply trough 2a ... Rear end part 4 ... Hopper 10 ... Mobile distribution part 15 ... Sensor 20, 30 ... Dispersion part 21 ... Dispersion surface 24 ... Flat surface L ... Detection axis (optical axis)
P ... Drop point W ... Object to be weighed X ... Channel alignment direction Y ... Supply direction

Claims (5)

A supply trough (2) having an inclined surface for flowing an object (W) in the supply direction (Y), and a plurality of hoppers (4) arranged below the supply trough in a vertical direction. And make a channel from
In the combination weighing device (1), wherein the channels are arranged in a plurality of linear rows, and the rear ends (2a) in the supply direction of the supply troughs of the rows are back to back.
A sensor (15) provided in the same number as the number of drop points so as to detect whether or not the object to be weighed exists for each of a plurality of drop points (P) corresponding to the channel;
A movable sorting unit (10) that is provided so as to be movable along the channel alignment direction (X), and that receives a detection signal from each sensor and distributes an object to be measured to the drop point according to the detection signal. When,
A dispersion surface (21) provided with the drop point, and a dispersion part (20) having the dispersion surface ,
Characterized in that the inclination of the dispersion plane for distributing the feed direction the objects to be weighed which have allocated to the drop point in the supply troughs for each of the column becomes steep than the inclined surface of the feed trough Combination weighing device.   The flat surface (24) is provided in a part of the dispersion surface (21) of the dispersion part (20), and the drop point (P) is provided on the flat surface. Combination weighing device.   Between the movable distribution part (10) and the drop point (P), a plate material long in the channel alignment direction (X) for each row is formed in the rear end part (2a) of the supply direction (Y). 3. The combination weighing device according to claim 1, wherein a guide (16) inclined downward is provided.   4. The combination weighing device according to claim 3, wherein the guide (16) is inclined so as not to block the detection axis (L) of the sensor (15).   The dispersion point (30) is provided with the drop point (P) between the channels, and the measurement object (W) dropped at the drop point is dispersed in the supply direction (Y) of each adjacent channel. The combination weighing device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

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